Ronnie Wood paintings go on show

By Karrie Gillett

AN EXHIBITION of 45 original paintings from Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has gone on display.

The show features a new set of sketches of band mate Keith Richards dressed in his pirate outfit for his cameo appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean.

And the Edinburgh exhibition also includes paintings from 30 years of Rolling Stones tours and portraits of his famous friends such as Rod Stewart and drummer Keith Moon.

Jonathan Poole, the exhibition organiser, said the 61-year-old rocker’s love of art is an important part of his life.

He said: “Ronnie is constantly painting and it’s a perfect opportunity for everybody to see what he has been doing.

“A lot of people might not realise that he does paint but when he’s not on tour he’s painting avidly and he’s very enthusiastic about his art projects.”

Wood was brought up in an artistic family with his father and two brothers were artists and he even attended art school in London before starting his music career.

His latest works, which went on display yesterday at The Dome on George Street until Saturday, carry price tags from £800 for prints.

But the most expensive work on display is a £26,000 original painting of singer and actress Grace Jones.

Mr Poole said the exhibition, which runs for free, wasn’t just for Rolling Stones fans but for people who have a general interest in art.

He said: “Obviously he is part of one of the most famous bands in the world and you can’t get away from that fact.

“But people who want to see a more personal insight into the world of music will be interested as will those who appreciate art.

“It’s an opportunity to see a trained artist who just happens to be a musician as well.”

Ronnie Wood’s art to be shown

Ronnie Wood's self portrait

By Cara Sulieman
ROLLING Stone Ronnie Wood is hoping to prove he has more to him than sex, drugs and rock n’ roll when he unveils his art exhibition in Scotland.

The 61-year-old wrinkly rocker’s work is a mixture of celebrity portraits and animal scenes; showing he doesn’t just paint it black.

But Wood himself is unlikely to visit the capital during the show as he is thought to have escaped to LA with his 20-year-old Russian lover Ekaterina Ivanova.

So the public will be left to decide if the guitarist’s art gives them any satisfaction when it is unveiled at The Dome in Edinburgh later this month.

The exhibition’s curator Jonathan Poole reckons Wood is becoming better known for his art than his outlandish behaviour.

He said: “I don’t think people are interested in his domestic life, they’re interested in him as an original artist. The works most certainly stand up on their own merit.

“He sold an original called Beggars’ Banquet for £1.2 million – no-one would pay £1.2m just because he’s a rock star. He’s a good investment and he’s a good visual artist.”

Wood with Rod Stewart

It certainly helps that Wood has a barrage of famous friends willing to pose for portraits – adding an extra dash of appeal.

As well as famous faces such as Paul McCartney and Jack Nicholson, there are plenty of paintings of the Stones in action on stage.

Poole explained: “Obviously the majority are going to include the music world because that’s his world, but we’ve got a number of animal paintings as well. There’s one called Tusk that is of rhinos and elephants, for example.”

Poole has been involved with rock art for years and has in the past arranged exhibitions of work by John Lennon and Miles Davis.

“With these exhibitions, it’s a very personal thing. Other people back him up on stage, but he’s on their own when he does this. I have the utmost respect for him as an artist.”

But offstage Wood is notorious for his extravagant and erratic behaviour, hitting headlines last year for leaving his wife for a girl 40 years younger than him.